The snowy owl a large snow-white owl that breeds as far north as the Arctic tundra. It is a bird of prey, so it ranks high on the food chain. The snowy owl is typically a raptor that stays in open country and hunts in fields, meadows or on the tundra.

Lemmings

Lemmings are a huge part of the snowy owl's diet in the far northern portion of their range. The average adult will kill and eat between three and five lemmings each day, according to the Cornell All About Birds website.

Effects

When the lemming population decreases, as it sometimes does, the snowy owl must head to southern parts to find food. This means it will exist as far south as states like Minnesota and Montana when lemmings are scarce.

Adaptable Diet

The snowy owl will change from the lemming diet and kill small mammals such as rabbits and squirrels when it moves southward. It will also subsist on dead fish it finds along waterways and can capture and consume waterfowl as well.

Other Creatures

The Norway rat, a denizen found in great numbers in dumps, is a target for the snowy owl when other food is scarce. The owl will also eat mice, voles, muskrats, prairie dogs and fur-bearing animals caught in traps, with some snowy owls following a trap line for just this purpose.

Predators

The Arctic fox and the wolf are the snowy owl's main predators, and seabirds such as the skua and the jaeger will raid the owls' nests and eat their chicks.

Source:

All About Birds.org: Snowy Owl

Owl Pages.com: Snowy Owl

"National Audubon Society Field Guide to Birds; Elbert Little; 2008